Chunnel opened for German trains

Germany's rail company Deutsche Bahn has been given the green light for its passenger trains to use the Channel Tunnel between France and Britain.

Chunnel operator Eurotunnel said the move could add an extra three or four million passengers a year to the 10 million already using the Folkestone-Calais link. The new trains can be absorbed through timetable modifications and need no extra investment.

Eurotunnel CEO Jacques Gounon said: “This is wonderful news for the millions of passengers in northern Europe who can now use this most environmentally friendly means of transport to travel to London."

He added: "Twenty years after its opening, the public authorities are finally opening the Channel Tunnel to all."

No date has yet been set for the first DB services. They got the go-ahead after three years of studies by the commission in charge of tunnel security. Until now, the only passenger trains allowed to use the Channel tunnel belong to Eurostar, a subsidiary of the French rail operator SNCF.

DB had planned to launch trains from Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Cologne to London this year, but repeated delays mean this is unlikely now to start before 2016. Manufacturer Siemens has said that the first trains will not be ready until 2015.

In addition, the UK Border Agency has said it will only allow juxtaposed border controls at Lille, Paris and Brussels and will not allow DB’s plan for on-train controls.

Last October Eurotunnel celebrated its 300 millionth passenger since the Chunnel began carrying passengers in 1994.
© AFP/Connexion